How I Met Your Mother Returning for Ninth Season

A CBS insider tells TVGuide.com that a renewal is expected once a licensing deal is struck between the network and production company 20th Century Fox. The show's production team also tweeted the news Saturday, writing: "It's official: #HIMYM is getting a 9th season! Hooray!"

While there is no word yet on an episode count, co-creator Carter Bays

told TVGuide.com earlier this month that the ninth season would likely be the CBS comedy's last.The renewal couldn't come at a better time. Bays told us that he and co-creator Craig Thomas were coming to the point of no return, meaning they'd have to start writing toward a series or season finale shortly. Contracts for them and the five actors were set to expire at the end of the season. Deadline first reported the negotiations. "I'd like it to be resolved before the New Year, but I'm not sure," Bays said. "It's really difficult not knowing, but we're optimistic and confident that we'll know soon. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to have something to say about it in January. It's a weird situation. We'd be happy with either one. We hope it works out for 9 because we love working here and we love this job and we do feel like we have some great stories to tell in Season 9. But if this is the last season, we'd be able to say it was a well-told story."The pickup also means that fans might have to wait a whole other year to meet the titular mother — unless, that is, the producers decide to show Ted's (Josh Radnor) courtship of the mother in the final season, an idea they have noted in the past was a possibility

How I Met Your Mother's current eighth season bowed to 8.7 million viewers and a 3.4 rating in the adults 18-to-49 demographic. Its latest outing stayed steady at 8.6 million and a 3.4 rating. Though that's down from last season's high of 12.22 million, HIMYM performs well in the demo, coming in second only to the season finale of The Voice, which drew 13.2 million viewers and a 4.1 rating.

Are you excited for another season of How I Met Your Mother? Or would you rather just meet the mother already? Hit the comments with your thoughts!